Language Delay in 3-Year-Old Children With ADHD Symptoms

J Atten Disord. 2016 Oct;20(10):867-78. doi: 10.1177/1087054713497253. Epub 2013 Aug 13.

Abstract

Objective: Little is known about cognition in preschoolers with ADHD and language delay (LD). The objective was to investigate cognitive functions in preschoolers with ADHD symptoms and LD compared with children with ADHD symptoms only and to estimate the frequency of children with ADHD symptoms, co-occurring language delay, and delays on cognitive measures.

Method: Participants were recruited from the Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study. The teacher report of expressive language and the cognitive tests from 119 3-year-old children with parent reported ADHD symptoms and LD were compared with those of 258 children with ADHD symptoms only.

Results: The ADHD + LD group performed significantly worse than the ADHD group on most language-related measures. There were no differences between the groups on most nonverbal measures. Single measures had a limited potential of differentiating between the groups.

Conclusion: ADHD symptoms and co-occurring LD in preschoolers were characterized by cognitive deficits associated with both disorders, not with global neurodevelopmental delay.

Keywords: ADHD; coexisting disorders; cognitive ability; language impairment; preschool.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study

MeSH terms

  • Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / diagnosis*
  • Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / psychology
  • Child, Preschool
  • Cognition / physiology*
  • Cognition Disorders / diagnosis*
  • Cognition Disorders / epidemiology
  • Cohort Studies
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Language Development Disorders / diagnosis*
  • Language Development Disorders / epidemiology
  • Language Development Disorders / psychology
  • Language*
  • Male
  • Mass Screening / methods
  • Neuropsychological Tests
  • Norway / epidemiology
  • Parents
  • Surveys and Questionnaires
  • Vocabulary